Schizopolis (1996)

59% of critics liked it
(17 reviews)
79% of users liked it
(4,697 ratings)

After years of making movies in the fringes of the Hollywood system after his debut success sex, lies, and videotape, director Steven Soderbergh made Schizopolis as, in his own words, an artistic "wake-up call to himself." The result is a discombobulated, irreverent, comedic meta-movie, a cinematic… More After years of making movies in the fringes of the Hollywood system after his debut success sex, lies, and videotape, director Steven Soderbergh made Schizopolis as, in his own words, an artistic "wake-up call to himself." The result is a discombobulated, irreverent, comedic meta-movie, a cinematic hall of mirrors nearly impossible to describe. Soderbergh wrote, directed, photographed, edited, and even stars in the film as Fletcher Munson, a disillusioned paper-pusher assigned to write a deliberately meaningless speech for T. Azimuth Schwitters, an L. Ron Hubbard-esque self-help guru whose new book Eventualism is a bestseller. His heart isn't in it, however, so he spends most of his time either masturbating in the employee bathroom, avoiding calls from people who want to hire him as a company spy, or listening to the paranoid delusions of his office chum, Nameless Numberhead Man. Intertwined with Munson's attempt to write glib diatribes are numerous asides and subplots. Best of all is the story of Elmo Oxygen: an orange-jumpsuit wearing bug exterminator who appears to be sleeping with several of his customers, including T. Azimuth Schwitters' wife. At one point, Elmo is coerced into leaving Schizopolis, mid-scene, to join another movie. Convoluted and playful as the movie is, there is some method to Soderbergh's madness. The various plot threads, though loosely wound to the core, do in fact lead to some understanding of the disorders, communication problems, and frustrations at the heart of contemporary life. ~ Anthony Reed, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 39 min.
Directed By: Steven Soderbergh
Written By: Steven Soderbergh
Genres: Art House & International, Comedy

In Theaters: Dec 31, 1996 Wide
On DVD: Oct 30, 2003

Critic Reviews

Janet Maslin, New York Times
Exasperating as it is, Schizopolis has a deliberateness almost interesting enough to offset its sophomoric streak.
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
Schizopolis represents a minor act of self-indulgence on the part of the sometimes eccentric Steven Soderbergh but results in major tedium for the viewer.
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
It's fresh, unexpected and goofy. It's not a smart career move, just a film that its director wanted to make for some crazy reason, and he made it.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Though funny and observant at times, it still comes across as a strained juvenile guerilla movie whose bizarre antics never caught fire.
Jay Antani, Cinema Writer
a filmmaking exercise from someone eager to stretch his legs, do something goofy, and experiment, all of which Soderbergh does without losing his audience
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Soderbergh's "smallest" film is also one of his most personal and original, a biting satire of modern life and marriage that he wrote, directed, lensed, and starred in; though fractured and uneven, it's an underestimated work.
Dan Jardine, Apollo Guide
This transfer to DVD captures the look and feel of a small indie film well.
Dan Jardine, Apollo Guide
Taken as a whole, the film fails to maintain the consistent absurd tone it is aiming for.
Dan Jardine, Cinemania
At once an astute study of the banality of modern life and a banal student film wrapped around a series of inside jokes.
James Kendrick, Q Network Film Desk
However, if there is a revelation in Schizopolis, it's Soderbergh himself, who proves, in his only acting role to date, to be an extremely gifted comedic actor.
Chris Barsanti, Filmcritic.com
moderately funny and seriously skewed
Nick Davis, Nick's Flick Picks
Schizopolis is by no means an epochal event, but it's clever and offbeat, well worth appreciating on its own proper terms.
Shlomo Schwartzberg, Boxoffice Magazine
Schizopolis is Steven Soderbergh's berserk and uneven attempt to mimic Bunuel's Un Chien Andalou; he wants to provoke reaction but he's not quite sure how to go about it.

Read all 13 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Greg S

Basically a series of absurd sketches, like a feature film made by a TV comedy troupe, with a thin organizing plot thread involving a man straining to write a big speech for a cultlike figure modeled on L. Ron Hubbard. Full of ideas that are usually more clever than funny---e.g., the… More
Basically a series of absurd sketches, like a feature film made by a TV comedy troupe, with a thin organizing plot thread involving a man straining to write a big speech for a cultlike figure modeled on L. Ron Hubbard. Full of ideas that are usually more clever than funny---e.g., the running joke satirizing lack of communication between men and women by having the characters speak jibberish, generic phrases, or different languages---but it should prove interesting and inventive enough to keep smart people watching to the end. Director Steven Soderbergh comes onscreen before the story starts and tells us, "In the event that you find certain sequences or ideas confusing, please bear in mind that this is your fault, not ours. You will need to see the picture again and again until you understand everything." So, you've been warned.
Graham J

A truly strange film, it makes no sense and makes total sense all at the same time. Steven Soderbergh, at the top of his game, handles directing, editing, scoring, camerawork and the lead role in this comedic oddity.
Spencer S

A satire towards films that lean towards the pretentious; Schizopolis is a mishmash of a knowing of all things narrator, several different roles all portrayed by Steven Soderbergh, dubbing in three languages, bottomless elderly men, and a start and finish that will have you in peals… More
A satire towards films that lean towards the pretentious; Schizopolis is a mishmash of a knowing of all things narrator, several different roles all portrayed by Steven Soderbergh, dubbing in three languages, bottomless elderly men, and a start and finish that will have you in peals of laughter. Mostly great for the humor, and artistic value, where you could find it, this basically unknown film is a treat to watch.
Ken S

The closest thing I can compare this too is Monty Python, but as if filtered through David Lynch and Jean Luc Godard. Really funny parts, really odd in others.
_kelly .

Love this film. Met the sound engineer, and Soderbergh's regular sound guy since sex lies & videotape, Larry Blake. This is an out-there movie for people who love image, symbolism, montage, and astounding sound mixing. Slightly inexplicable in terms of its plot, but basically… More
Love this film. Met the sound engineer, and Soderbergh's regular sound guy since sex lies & videotape, Larry Blake. This is an out-there movie for people who love image, symbolism, montage, and astounding sound mixing. Slightly inexplicable in terms of its plot, but basically everything builds around an important man making an important speech and makes some damn amazing detours on the way. My favorite scene involves people's dialog slipping in and out of different languages, in different chronological order, speaking backwards, all kinds of great stuff. Plus some great send-ups to the pop videography of the early 90s with the bug exterminator's segments.
Tim B

This movie defies description. It's great fun to watch, even if you don't understand what's going on.
matt s

It has its moments, but most of this is just throwing material on the wall and seeing what sticks. For me, a lot of it was annoying and didn't stick. Kudos to Soderbergh. His performances were the saving grace of this otherwise thin film.
Anthony V

A one of a kind comedy about communication from Steven Soderbergh. To quote the movie: "If you don't get it, it's your fault. You should watch it over and over again until you do."
Christopher B

Stephen Soderbergh's second first fillm is the best he's ever done and one of the best movies ever made.

Read all 9 featured audience ratings

Cast

Steven Soderbergh
as Munson
Betsy Brantley
as Wife
Dave Jensen
as Elmo

See full cast

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